Should I buy another DVP-642?

[mis3]

Based on my research, I bought the Philips DVP-642 2 years old and it still works really good.

I am looking for a 2nd DVD player, should I buy the same (if they still sell this) ? Is there a better one I should consider now?

[lumis]

i purchased one of these dvd players a couple of months and they're okay.. but shortly after purchasing a friend gave me a softmodded xbox with xbox media center installed.. and i must say, it blows every other dvd player out of the water in terms of its ability to playback types of files..

considering the fact that you can purchase an xbox for $100 used, and the softmod is relatively free, you just cant go wrong.

i also like the fact that if i want to watch some xvid video, i dont have to burn it to a cd-r or dvd-r or a rewritable.. i can just connect via FTP and transfer a 700mb xvid in less than 1 minute to my xbox hard drive.

[Krispy Kritter]

They do still sell the 642. They can be gotten at Amazon and most Wal-Mart stores.

I would personally recommend the Oppo OPDV971H (oppodigital.com)

[wayne421]

I'd recommend the Pioneer 383S. Plays everything right out of the box, including DivX and XviD, and the firmware is upgradeable (read the Amazon user reviews). I have one of these and it rocks the boat. Region 0, and even does PAL->NTSC and back! Without hacking! Definitely worth the $99 IMHO.

Amazon has it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AN5DT0/ref=wl_it_dp/104-2655376-7547169?%5Fencodi...lance&n=172282

[handyguy]

I agree, those Xboxs are great. You need XBMC.

RJ800/1500 has a divx player for about $65.00 It has a vga out on it & some models have scart outs. But its kind of a fragile player. Most divx players appear to not be very reliable. The xbox is a pretty solid machine.

[brownstem]

Try this: http://www.6ave.com/product.jsp?zipz=12143&x=LDX514&x=36&y=14 Less than $100 after rebate. Upconverts AND it's got a VHS deck for the hell of it.

[oldfart13]

What Amazon has to say about the Pioneer 383:

" Product Description
This product was not intended for sale in the USA. It may not come with a Pioneer USA limited warranty. Pioner DV-383S DVD Player - With it's slim form factor, this DVD player can fit in nearly any home entertainment cabinet. It plays Region 1 DVD movies, yet has the unique features of having PAL output and 220 volt support. This product was not intended for sale in the USA. It may not come with a Pioneer USA limited warranty. "


So, what's up with that??

[wayne421]

It's an international DVD player, which is why Amazon has that description, and why it's not listed on the Pioneer website. It's multivolt and Region Free, so it was made with the intention of being flexible, allowing it to work in different countries without needing modifcations.

I think US manufacturers are pressured a bit by the movie industry to not release Region Free DVD players here so Hollywood can control what the consumer watches.

Believe me, the 383S plays everything I've thrown at it so far.

[ROF]

Based on my research, I bought the Philips DVP-642 2 years old and it still works really good.

I am looking for a 2nd DVD player, should I buy the same (if they still sell this) ? Is there a better one I should consider now?

A better one would be a cheaper one that does exactly what you want from a player. If you can't find a cheaper one the DVP-642 is a good choice. I own one and it's great.

[mrsoul1952]

I bought a Philips 642 and the power supply died after a few months. It cost almost as much to exchange it for a rebuilt one as to just buy a new one. So I got a new one but I've been afraid of
it dying because I read this is a common problem with the 642.

I recently bought a Toshiba SD-4980SU at Best Buy for $80 and I like it better than the Philips.
It has a better menu display. It has a better display giving time elapsed/time remaining,
bit rate, MP3 or AC3 audio, etc. Plus you can stop and restart a Divx movie which you cannot do with the Philips.

It also has the upconvert with the HDMI connection.

It costs about $25 more than the 642 but I feel the extra features and more reliability are worth the extra cost.

[handyguy]

XBMC can read films stored in RAR files, stream films from your computer, read these formats:
* MPEG-1/2/4
* DivX
* XviD
* H.264
* RealMedia
* QuickTime
* MP3
* AAC
* FLAC
* JPEG
* GIF
* BMP
XBMC can play media from CD/DVD using the Xbox's built-in DVD-ROM drive. It can also play media from the hard-drive, or stream it over a SAMBA share. It can also stream iTunes-shares via DAAP. XBMC takes full advantage of the Xbox's Ethernet-port and broadband Internet if available, using the IMDb to obtain pictures and reviews on movies, and CDDB (via FreeDB) for Audio-CD track listings, stream internet video streams, and play internet radio stations (like SHOUTcast for example). XBMC also includes the option to submit music usage statistics to Audioscrobbler and Last.fm, it has music/video-playlist and picture/image-slideshow functions, a weather-forecast (via Weather.com) and MP3+CDG karaoke function, plus many audio-visualizations. XBMC even includes an Xbox Live alternative (called "XLink KAI" tunneling) enabling you to play system-link/LAN-enabled Xbox games online.

XBMC supports Python scripts as Widget plugins, so users can add functionality without an illegal copy of the XDK. Current scripts include services like TV, cinema and weather guides, train-timetables, scripts to control PVR software and hardware (like: MediaPortal, MythTV, TiVo ReplayTV), internet-radio-station browsers (example SHOUTcast), internet TV browsers, email clients, P2P file sharing (BitTorrent), IRC and more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Media_Center

[CobraPilot]

I've been pleased with my DVP-642, but have recently bought a different brand, the DXP-1000 from Avayon (www.avayon.com).

They've recently added Nero Digital playback capability in addition to other formats. Nero Digital, at bitrates above about 700 Kbps is almost indistinguishable from DVD quality; e.g, a 2-hour movie converted to Nero Digital, will fit easily on a CD-R.

I bought a refurb unit for US$49.95 (90-day warranty) about a month ago, and it plays virtually everything I've thrown at it so far. A new unit costs $69.95 (1-yr warranty) with free shipping (for both new and refurb).

A small feature I really like: There is a switch on the back on the unit which allows you to completely turn off the machine which, like the DVP-642, has an annoying red "standby" light on when the machine is not in use. On the DXP-1000 that red light is VERY bright.